We felt smarter just being there

On Sunday, we were invited over to some friends' house for dinner and they offered to show us around Princeton. What a picturesque little town. We loved it.

We first visited the Princeton battlefield. It was beautiful as the sunlight spanned the quite field. The stillness seemed to me a great paradox. Here's a bit of its history:

On December 25th, 1776 Washington had led a victory at Trenton. Upsetting the British commander General Howe, he sent his most aggressive subordinate, Cornwallis, to continue with a subsequent attack. During the early hours of January 3, 1777 Washington fled their camp with the majority of his men. In Washington's brilliance, a few men were left behind to make noise as if they were fortifying camp. The men banged shovels and dug holes. The movement of the exiting cannon's wheels were muffled by blankets and the muddied ground was frozen that night, making for an seamless withdrawal. The stealth escape allowed Washington to surprise an attack at Princeton. The British fled for protection at the nearby Nassau Hall (later to be Princeton University). A cannon was fired on the building and legend has it that the hit damaged a portrait of George II, decapitating their tyrant . The 1777 battle at Princeton was the turning point that allowed the Americans to gain control of nearly the entire state of New Jersey. The consecutive victories also greatly encouraged France to elicit its aid to the American cause. And above all, American morale was heightened to new levels.

This is a Revolutionary hospital used by men wounded in the battle.

It was a unique experience to see inside the little hospital and imagine women caring for the suffering and dying men. Thinking of the all who gave their lives on that battlefield, and all others for that matter, to bring our country its independence was humbling.

Next, we walked around Princeton University. I couldn't have imagined a more pristine campus. The archways, statutes, brickwork, stained glass...my words can't do it justice, and neither can my pictures.



We went down to the main part of town where everyone was out enjoying the weather and perusing the boutiques. We sat on a bench, watching people walk by us. This of course led to the game of "I bet they're really smart..." It was also humbling to think of all the students and faculty there that research, teach, and contribute so much to society. We felt a little bit smarter just being there that afternoon.